Having escaped
an abusive relationship, Chloe MacGregor is determined to put the past behind
her. The little cottage high up on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful North
Yorkshire town of Whitby is her safe haven, somewhere she is free to be
herself.

When the arrival of her new neighbour and boss,
Luke Warwick, threatens her peaceful, sheltered life, Chloe is forced to
confront her past and to re-evaluate who she really is. Falling in love with
Luke is not part of her plan but, to her surprise, Luke is falling for her too.
The only thing preventing their happy ever after is Chloe herself. Will she
ever truly learn to leave the past where it belongs?

EXTRACT

Chloe stared at the bright blue front door, not quite sure
if she was willing it to open or remain shut. Cerulean Bliss. She had been
drawn to the name, conjuring up images of crystal clear Mediterranean Sea,
sandy beaches, and cloudless skies. Chris had appeared amused by her decision
to choose the paint based on the name rather than the colour.

‘‘Babe, if you want Cerulean Bliss for the front door,
Cerulean Bliss is what we’ll go for.’’

But when he’d returned from a boys’ weekend away to find
Chloe had painted the door, it had been a different story. He had flown into a
rage, claiming she hadn’t consulted with him on the colour and had gone behind
his back, waiting until he was away to make changes to his house. That was the
first time she had been on the receiving end of his anger; the first time she
had been frightened and confused by his apparent about-turn on something he had
previously agreed to. It hadn’t been the last time.

Chloe glanced at her watch, frowning when it showed only a
minute had passed since she had last looked. The frown deepened when she lifted
a hand to rub her eyebrow and saw how much her fingers were trembling. A gentle
hand touched her forearm and she looked up to meet her friend’s calm gaze.

‘Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine.’

Chloe shook her head, unable to prevent her gaze from
returning to the front door only twenty or so metres from where they were
sitting in her car. What if he glanced around and saw her? What if he didn’t?

‘What am I doing, Bekah?’ She dropped her head in her
hands, squeezing her eyes shut and immediately wincing as that small movement
resulted in more pain than it should.

‘I know, I know we did.’ Chloe lifted her chin, but didn’t
remove her gaze from the door. ‘I just…I keep thinking about it, over and over.
He’s not always that bad, not really, and I think…I think maybe it was my
fault.’

Chloe didn’t have to see her friend’s face to know she was
angry; she could feel it radiating from her in waves. Rebekah remained silent
and reached across to pull down the sun visor in front of Chloe, lifting up the
small flap covering the vanity mirror.

‘There is nothing you could have done that would ever
justify what he did to you. Nothing.’

Chloe stared at her reflection, taking in the dark purple
bruise circling her left eye—now bloodshot and half-closed—the ugly graze
reaching across her cheekbone and further down to the swollen and split bottom
lip. Without thinking, she licked her lip. The tip of her tongue slipped over
the injury, and she drew in a sharp breath at the sting it produced.

She met her gaze in the mirror once more, noting the
confusion and uncertainty dulling their green hue. ‘I know. But it’s not
usually this bad. He pushes me around a bit sometimes, nothing major, and he
says things…you know, usually when he’s had a drink.’

‘That doesn’t make it right. You know that.’ Rebekah blew
out a long breath. ‘I can’t believe you never told me.’

Chloe avoided her friend’s accusing gaze. What could she
have told her? That Chris was proving her mother right? That she wasn’t woman
enough for any man?

‘It doesn’t matter now anyway. I—’ She drew in a strangled
breath as the front door opened and, shrinking down a little in her seat, Chloe
prayed he wouldn’t glance down the street and recognise her car among all the
others parked along the kerb.

As she watched, Chris locked the door before turning and
sauntering along the path, tossing his keys in the air and catching them, his
lips pursed as he whistled. Chloe couldn’t hear from this distance, but she
knew he would be whistling the tune to whichever song had been on the radio
before he left the house. She glanced at her watch once more; 8.15am on the
dot. Chris was a creature of habit.

‘Bastard.’ Rebekah thumped the dashboard in obvious
frustration as he got into his car without glancing left or right before
driving off. ‘Look at him, acting as if he hasn’t a care in the world. You
should have let Sean come round last night and hammer ten bells out of him, see
how he liked it.’

Chloe gave a weak smile. ‘I don’t suppose that would have
solved anything.’

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Rebekah
finally opened her door.

‘So, come on then. Let’s do it.’

Chloe bit her lip and immediately winced in pain, wishing
she hadn’t. Gingerly exploring her lip with her fingers, she saw they were
stained with blood, and stifling a sigh, searched in her bag for a tissue.

‘What if he comes back? What if he’s forgotten something?’

‘He’s not coming back. He’s gone to work,’ said Rebekah,
nodding her encouragement. ‘Come on, the sooner we get in, the sooner we get
out. We’ll only be a few minutes.’

If ever there was a book to make me fall hard for one of the main characters its this one. Luke Warwick just became my latest book boyfriend!

Chloe, in an abusive relationship decides to walk away from Chris after receiving a beating. She can no longer convince herself that he can't help the way he is. But its a difficult decision as Chloe has been brainwashed to believe that she is at fault and is completely undesirable to men. Even her mother has reinforced this in her mind and Chloe it seems is resigned to a life on her own with only her dog Jasper for company. However, after being set up by a friend, Chloe meets Luke Warwick and cannot deny the attraction she feels for him. Luke himself has fallen for Chloe hard but she is complicated and Luke isn't sure he needs that much complication in his life.............yet he can't get Chloe out of his mind. His new business further complicates his feelings about Chloe and her past seems to cast a shadow over them both.

I really enjoyed this book. Ellie Gray has done a fantastic job portraying Chloe's vulnerability and her ex Chris is such a hateful character. Actually he wasn't the only hateful character in the book. I do love a good fictional nasty! I adore Ellie Gray's writing style and she has produced a perfectly paced book that kept me reading until I devoured every last page. At times I was frustrated that Luke and Chloe were obviously so perfect for each other that the unresolved sexual tension was bouncing off the page. At one point I found myself muttering, 'If you don't want him then I'll have him.' Proof positive that I became a little too engrossed in this book. I managed to read it in one sitting and the world could have ended and I wouldn't have noticed! Really enjoyed this book so much. Well done to Ellie Gray for putting together such an interesting and varied cast of characters. The issue of domestic violence was an important one and one I felt that Ellie Gray handled sensitively and well. Well written and engrossing. Its on my recommended list!

Ellie Gray is a
contemporary romance author who loves to write heart-warming, sensual romances
with characters her readers can really identify with. Her novels are set in
places inspired by her own life and travels, including the beautiful UK
Yorkshire countryside as well as far flung, exotic countries such as Egypt.

Currently working on
her fourth novel, and still tinkering away at a young adult novel first started
some years ago, Ellie loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her
through any of the social media links below or through her website.

Contact BCB!

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